Carpet stretcher

ABSTRACT

A sliding hammer apparatus which is attachable to a gripper head part of a carpet stretching device ( 10 ), the apparatus having a body portion ( 14 ) having an elongate substantially horizontal member ( 15 ) which has a front end and a rear end, a hand operable sliding hammer ( 16 ) slidably attached to the member, a strike face ( 17 ) which is adapted to be struck by the sliding hammer ( 16 ) and attachment means to attach the apparatus to a gripper head ( 12 ) part of a carpet stretcher.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a carpet stretcher which does not require knee kicking, and instead uses a hand operated sliding hammer to stretch the carpet. The stretcher can fit to a conventional gripper head, or can be purpose-built.

BACKGROUND ART

The most popular carpet stretching tools used are the manual knee kicker stretcher, the lever action stretcher, and a powered stretcher. The invention can be seen as an improvement on the manual knee kicker stretcher.

Carpet stretchers are very well known and are used to stretch a carpet towards the perimeter of the floor to eliminate creases and bulges, and to tension the carpet over the smooth edge which is a strip of timber with protruding spikes or nails, and which is attached to the floor around the base of the walls. The carpet is stretched over the spikes which holds the carpet in place.

The most popular unit used to stretch the carpet is a knee kicker. The knee kicker is typically formed from two main parts. The first part is the gripper head. The gripper head typically has a rectangular head portion having a bottom face containing protruding spikes which bite into the carpet. A shank or shaft extends behind the gripper head which may be tubular, or channel shaped. The second part of the knee kicker contains a shank or shaft which makes with the shank or shaft on the gripper head. A soft thick pad is fitted to the rear part of the shank or shaft, and the pad is hit by the knee of the carpet layer to cause the gripper head to move forwardly and therefore to stretch or tension the carpet.

The knee kicker needs to be kicked by the knee of the carpet layer while the carpet layer is in a kneeling position. This action causes impact which results in serious knee, hip, leg and spinal injuries.

Another disadvantage with this type of device is that the carpet layer must be positioned behind or next to the knee kicker. This means that the device cannot be easily used in very confined spaces such as in cupboards or underneath overhangs. Often, the carpet is only partially stretched or is not stretched at all in these confined spaces which results in creases or bulges forming in the carpet over time.

Attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of knee kickers. For instance, it is known to provide a knee kicker where a sliding weight slides along the shaft or shank which extends between the gripper head and the knee pad. When the carpet layer kicks the knee pad, the weight is propelled towards the gripper head and it is hoped that this provides some intensification of the force of the blow to the gripper head. In practice, this arrangement increases the weight of the kicker, which is undesirable, and provides no advantage to the problems with confined spaces. Also, the device still needs to be kicked by the persons knee which provides no solution to the injury problem.

Another known type of carpet stretcher has a gripper head which is more or less conventional. Behind the gripper head is a rather long tubular member. A long rod slides within the tubular member and is weighted. The rear end of the rod has a hand grip. In practice, the rod is retracted to be almost out of the tubular member, and is then forced back through the tubular member by pushing hard on the hand grip. The front end of the rod extends through the tubular member and strikes a stop in the tubular member. It is hoped that this provides a decent forward force to the gripper head. This arrangement has the advantage that it does not need to be kicked by the persons knee. However, the plunger and rod type assembly is rather long (almost 1 m when in the retracted position) which makes it difficult for use in confined spaces. Also, the rather long stroke of the device when the rod is retracted and pushed forwardly through the tubular member, makes it difficult to provide a quick series of blows to stretch the carpet. The device also has the disadvantage that it is, not very versatile and can only be used as a hand carpet stretcher. Occasionally, there are still advantages in being able to use a knee kicker, and this device does not allow it to be used as a knee kicker when required.

Carpet stretchers are known which do not require kicking. For instance, carpet stretchers using a lever action are known, but these stretchers are rather slow and require the device to be pinned to the floor to prevent it from moving backwards as the lever forces the carpet forwards. These devices are also completely unsuitable for use in confined spaces.

Powered devices are known and these do not require knee kicking. However such powered devices are expensive and require a source of power which is not always readily available. The devices can be quite large and unsuitable for use in confined spaces.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a carpet stretcher which does not require knee kicking, does not require electrical or hydraulic power, does not have a lever action, and which may overcome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages.

In one form, the invention resides in a carpet stretcher which comprises a gripper head and a body portion, the body portion having an elongate member which has a front end and a rear end, a hand operable sliding hammer slidably attached to the member, and a strike face which is adapted to be struck by the sliding hammer.

In another form, the invention resides in a sliding hammer apparatus which is attachable to a gripper head part of a carpet stretching device, the apparatus having a body portion having an elongate member which has a front end and a rear end, a hand operable sliding hammer slidably attached to the member, a strike face which is adapted to be struck by the sliding hammer, and attachment means to attach the apparatus to a gripper head part of a carpet stretcher.

The carpet stretcher of the invention can be used instead of the conventional knee kicking carpet stretching devices. The size of the carpet stretcher may be similar to conventional knee kicking carpet stretching devices. However, larger or smaller stretchers are envisaged.

The gripper head may be of a more or less conventional design, and gripper heads are well-known in the marketplace. The gripper head is typically substantially rectangular or square shaped when viewed in plan and can have a length and width of between 5-20 cm. The gripper head is typically formed of steel. The gripper head typically has a bottom face which is provided with an array of spikes or teeth which bite into the carpet. The length of the spikes or teeth is typically adjustable and can be adjusted by a dial which is on the top face of the gripper head. The gripper head typically has a tapered front nose portion and a substantially abrupt rear portion. This type of gripper head is well-known in the art.

Also known in the art is a gripper head having a rearwardly extending shaft or shank to form a first part which is typically called a “gripper head part”.

The body portion has an elongate member to support the sliding hammer. The elongate member typically comprises a rod member. The rod member is typically in a substantially horizontal position. The rod member may be formed from steel or other suitable material. The rod member is typically cylindrical, although it is possible for the rod member to have a square cross-section or other type of cross-section shape. The rod member may have a cross-section size, or diameter if the rod member is cylindrical of between 5-20 mm. The rod member may have a length sufficient to allow the sliding hammer to be used effectively. The length will depend on the size of the carpet stretcher, and the size of the sliding hammer. A typical length of the rod member can be between 20-50 cm. It is envisaged that the elongate member may comprise a rail member, other types of guide members, a substantially flat or plate like member and the like, as long as it can support a sliding hammer for sliding movement along the elongate member

The body portion may have two extending portions between which the rod member can locate. Suitably, the body portion is plate like and has an upwardly extending rear end portion an upwardly extending front end portion between which the rod member can locate, and a connecting main body portion which connects the two end portions.

The body portion has a strike face which is adapted to be struck by the sliding hammer. The strike face the may comprise the upwardly extending front end portion. This front end portion may be formed from fairly thick material (typically metal) to allow it to function efficiently as a strike face without damage.

The sliding hammer is slidably attached to the rod member. Typically, the sliding hammer comprises an elongate weighted member and is typically formed from metal. The sliding hammer may be coupled to the rod member by various means. In a preferred form, the sliding hammer has a longitudinal bore through which the rod member passes to sliding the attach the sliding hammer to the rod member. The shape of the bore is typically the same shape of the rod. For instance, the bore may be circular if the rod is cylindrical or may be slot like if the rod is an elongate plate or strip. Other forms of attachment means are envisaged. For instance, the attachment might be via a pin-in-slot arrangement, a stud-in-channel arrangement, and the like.

The sliding hammer may be profiled to facilitate hand gripping. The sliding hammer may be substantially cylindrical and have a front face and a rear face. The front face is typically planar and is adapted to strike the strike face of the body portion. In order to minimise metal-metal contact, a washer or bush may be positioned on the front face. The washer or bush may be formed from hard plastic material such as nylon or from other suitable materials.

The gripper head may be releasably attachable to the body portion or may be fixed to the body portion. It is preferred that the gripper head is releasably attachable such that a conventional gripper head can be used. Suitably, an attachment means is provided to releasably attach the body portion to the gripper head. The attachment means may comprise fasteners such as screws, bolts, clips and the like. If desired, the body portion may have guide means to facilitate attachment of the gripper head to the body portion. The guide means may comprise an opening in the front end portion through which a shank or shaft of the gripper head may pass.

A side attachment may be provided to the body portion. The side attachment may be releasably attachable to the body portion and can be attached to either side of the body portion. If desired, a side attachment may be provided on each side of the body portion. The side attachment can be gripped by a person's hand, or pushed up against by a person's knee or foot to hold the carpet stretcher in place and to prevent the carpet stretcher from moving back.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of the carpet stretcher.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear perspective view of the carpet stretcher.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the carpet stretcher.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the carpet stretcher.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the carpet stretcher.

BEST MODE

Referring to the figures, there is illustrated a carpet stretcher 10. The main components of the carpet stretcher are (1) a gripper head part 11 which is formed from a forward gripper head 12, and a rearwardly extending shank 13, (2) a body portion 14 which comprises a elongate member in the form of a rod 15, a sliding hammer 16, and a front strike face 17.

Gripper head 12 is of conventional design and has a substantially block like rectangular configuration with a tapering front nose portion 18, and an abrupt rear portion 19. The gripper head 12 has a bottom face 20 which is formed with an array of extending spikes or teeth 21 which bite into the carpet. A top face 22 has a dial 23 which can be turned to adjust the extent of the spikes or teeth 21 from bottom face 20. The rearwardly extending shank 13 is formed integrally with gripper head 12 to form a single unit. The shank 13 has a C-shaped section which is best illustrated in FIG. 2. The gripper head and the shank together form a gripper head part 11. This part 11 is usually conventional and forms one part of the known two part knee kicker device. This illustrates an advantage of the present invention which envisages use of a known gripper head part which means that carpet layers can use part of their existing knee kicker device.

The body portion 14 is substantially plate like and comprises a lower profiled but substantially planar connecting main body portion 24. A rear part of main body portion 24 is bent upwardly to form a rear end portion 25. A front part of main body portion 24 contains an upwardly extending front portion 26 which is quite thick as one face of it functions as strike face 17.

Rod 15 is cylindrical and extends between rear end portion 25 and front end portion 26, and is supported by each end portion. Rear end portion 25 has an opening 27 through which rod 15 can pass. A lock plate 28 is attached to rod 15 and is locked in place with a fastener 29. Front end portion 26 is provided with a bore (not illustrated) in which the front end of rod 15 can pass. The rod is fixed in the bore by any suitable means which may comprise threads, a fastener such as a grub screw, or a split pin.

A sliding hammer 16 slides over rod 15. Sliding hammer 16 is substantially cylindrical but has a profiled outer surface to facilitate hand gripping. Sliding hammer 16 has a longitudinal bore to allow it to slide over rod 15. Sliding hammer 16 has a front end face 30. Attached to front end face 30 is a nylon bush 31 which prevents metal-metal contact as sliding hammer 16 is slammed against strike face 17 to provide a forward thrust to gripper head 12.

Front end portion 26 has a guide means which is in the form of an aperture 32 through which shank 13 can pass.

Shank 13 is attached to portion 24 and is preferably releasably attached thereto. This can be achieved by fasteners (not illustrated) which connect shank 13 to the body portion. The arrangement may allow shank member 13 to be adjustable relative to the body portion to allow the degree of extension of gripper head 12 to vary.

A side attachment 34 is provided. Side attachment 34 has a central steel pin 35 which extends into a bore (not illustrated) on body portion 14. A bore may be provided on each side of body portion 14 to allow the side attachment to be attached to either side of the carpet stretcher. Side attachment 34 is profiled such that it can be gripped by a person's hand to keep a forward force on the carpet stretcher while sliding hammer 16 is being used by the persons other hand. Alternatively, side attachment 34 can be pushed by a person's knee or foot.

It can be seen that the carpet stretcher can be operated by hand and that the forward thrust is provided by the hand operated sliding hammer 16. Therefore, knee kicking is no longer required. The sliding hammer can be used quickly and efficiently and can deliver rapid blows to strike face 17. The carpet layer can also use sliding hammer 16 to deliver hard blows or soft blows to strike face 17 to provide a greater precision in the use of the device. The carpet layer is not thrown off-balance as both knees can be used to support the carpet layer and a knee is not required to be repeatedly struck against the device. The device can be used in confined areas as the forward thrust is provided by a hand operated sliding hammer and not by the knee of the carpet layer. Another advantage of the invention is that the main body portion 14 can be removed from the gripper head and shank part which allows the gripper head and shank part be fastened to a conventional kneepad such that the carpet layer can still use this part as a conventional knee kicker. This provides greater versatility to the carpet layer.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the invention described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A sliding hammer apparatus which is attachable to a gripper head part of a carpet stretching device, the gripper head having a stem, the apparatus having a body portion which has a front end and a rear end, a first member extending upwardly from the body portion and adjacent the front end, a second member extending upwardly from the body portion and adjacent the rear end, a elongate substantially horizontal guide member which extends between the first member and the second member, and adjacent upper ends of the first member and the second member, and which has a front end and a rear end, a hand operable sliding hammer slidably attached to the elongate member, a strike face adjacent the front end of the elongate member, the strike face comprising part of the first member and which is adapted to be struck by the sliding hammer, and attachment means to attach the apparatus to the stem of a gripper head part of a carpet stretcher.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hand operable sliding hammer is weighted.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substantially horizontal guide member is releasably attached to the body portion of the device, to allow replacement of the sliding hammer with a sliding hammer of the same weight a different weight or the body portion.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising side attachment, releasably attached to the body portion of the apparatus, adapted to prevent the carpet stretcher from deviating or to be struck using the knee in the manner of a conventional carpet stretching device of the knee kicking type.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the side attachment is padded.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 containing the gripper head part.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the gripper head part is releasably attached using attachment means to the body portion.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the attachment means used to attach the grip the head part to the body portion is a pin and slot arrangement.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the body portion is as guide means to facilitate the attachment of a gripper head portion to the body portion.
 10. The apparatus of either claim 8, wherein the sliding hammer is adapted to facilitate hand gripping or have a grip enhancing profile. 